


five steps forward (and one to the side) [28/52]

by andrea_deer



Series: 52 aspec drabbles/ficlets of 2017 [28]
Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: 5+1 Things, 52 aspec drabbles, Aromantic Asexual Character, Aromantic Character, Asexual Character, Gen, M/M, Queerplatonic Duo Maxwell/Heero Yuy, Queerplatonic Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-10
Updated: 2018-01-10
Packaged: 2019-03-03 05:36:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13334568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/andrea_deer/pseuds/andrea_deer
Summary: "Such intimacy among the pilots could doom us all," he grumbles at Maxwell, oddly enough, since he seems to be the only willing to listen."I know. We're lucky it didn't."Heero stares at him, waiting for the joke or sarcastic response, but none comes."Hm," he grunts agreeably.28th of 52 aspect drabbles!





	five steps forward (and one to the side) [28/52]

**Author's Note:**

> So, yeah, I didn't manage to finish this project in 2017 like planned, so... I'm gonna finish it off in 2018! :) Wish me luck! :)  
> (Also, I know I'm super slow with answering comments, but you guys are the best and you keep me going! <3)

five steps forward (and one to the side)

**one**

Trowa and Quatre get together right after the war. Or rather, they let others know they're together after the war, just in time for the wedding. They're not hiding the fact that they've been on and off together during the war as well. Heero doesn't approve but no one really listens to him. They hardly listened to him during the war, now they don't even pretend to. 

Trowa just stares at him blankly and Quatre gives him this warm smile full of pity as if he was an unruly puppy or a child that doesn't understand the adults' world.

"Such intimacy among the pilots could doom us all," he grumbles at Maxwell, oddly enough, since he seems to be the only willing to listen.

"I know. We're lucky it didn't."

Heero stares at him, waiting for the joke or sarcastic response, but none comes.

"Hm," he grunts agreeably.

"Then again, you know what they say about love, right?" Duo grins brightly and Heero stares at him in confusion. He most certainly does not know. "It's giving someone an opportunity to hurt you and trusting them not to."

"I don't think that's wise," Heero says slowly and Maxwell grunts in agreement next to him, seeping his drink and watching the happy couple.

There is something disturbingly peaceful about them, Heero has to admit. He's not sure he likes it, but it's captivating. They dance slowly, looking at each other, and for all the world they look like if in this moment everyone and everything else could disapear and they would manage just fine as long as they would have each other.

"I can't imagine trusting anyone like that," Heero says slowly, hardly realizing he's doing it.

Maxwell looks at him in surprise, obviously unused to him speaking so much. Heero meets his gaze, half-expecting the same pitiful and demeaning look Quatre gave him, but Maxwell's eyes morph from surprise into some sad, solemn look.

"Me neither," he admits and after a second he grins widely which never before looked as much as a mask as it did now. "And since Trowa is running off with Quatre, I guess your one short of a partner, Mr. Preventer?"

Heero wants to say that Wufei officially doesn't have a partner yet either, but he doesn't. He grunts noncommittally enough, but Duo keeps grinning and Herro is not surprised when they're paired up a week later. 

**two**

"Did you know Brenda bet a hundred credits you will ask me out by December?"

Heero blinks.

He is slightly less vigilant now than he used to be during the war. It's really the best for him in the long run. The constant pressure will not help him survive past twenty-five, which he is starting to think might not be too bad. Still, he doesn't enjoy how long it takes him sometimes to shift gears when Duo starts talking.

"Who's Brenda?"

"Tall, red hair, works in PR, tried to dance with Wufei at the Office Party in August. Also, not the point of the story, Heero. People are making bets on when you will ask me out!"

Heero tries to unravel that bit of information. Was this news? People speculated about them for months, he suspects betting is just one step further. Sometimes he despairs at the level of professionalism in the office, but he accepted it for the fight long lost.

Does Duo mind? He looks carefully at Duo who seems to be watching him and quickly running out of patience.

"Are you done processing?" he asks before Heero can question it and Heero just glares.

"Why is it such a big deal?"

"It's not. Grab your coat."

"...why?"

"Because you need to ask me out in the corridor so Jeff can hear and pass on to others. I asked Sally to bet on today and we're splitting fifty-fifty. Come on!"

Heero rolls his eyes and calmly starts turning off his computer while Duo makes his dramatic impatient dance that's not even slightly sincere.

"What am I getting out of this?" Heero asks, putting on his coat.

"A date!" Duo replies impatiently and Heero stops walking towards the door and stares at him. 

Duo sighs. "Half of my half?"

"Hm. Acceptable."

Duo shakes his head and mutters under his breath. "Unbelievable!"

**three**

"I don't need-" growls Heero. 

He was shot in the shoulder on their last mission. It was a nasty wound, but it's healing up perfectly well and yet Duo is still stuck making a fuss about it. Never leaving the hospital, insisting on staying with Heero and helping with every small task.

"I don't care what you need!" Duo yells back and Heero is shocked into silence.

Duo doesn't even look like Duo. He looks tired and unkempt, barely held together. There are tears in his eyes.

"Duo-" Heero starts carefully, not really sure what will he follow with.

"Shut up, okay? You need help! I'm helping you."

"Is this helping you?"

"What?" Duo snaps.

"You're not okay, Duo. Is helping me calming you?"

Duo stays silent, looks like he's chewing on his replies. The shirt he was trying to help Heero put on is getting slowly strangled in his hand.

"Yes," he admits. "I'm your backup, I need to help you out. You need to trust me to help you!"

Heero nods slowly. That makes some sort of sense. 

"I trust you." He outreaches his arm so Duo can proceed with putting on the shirt. He raises his eyebrows questioningly when Duo fails to move.

Duo's grin is watery and small, but it's there and carefully he helps Heero put his shirt on.

"You should talk with doctor Oyama."

"I will if you will."

Heero sighs. He absolutely despises Preventers' therapist.

"Deal," he agrees, partly because he knows Une will insist on it anyway.

Duo says _"deal"_ defeatedly before brightening up. "Imagine Une's face when we tell her we went voluntarily."

"She may be trying to double check our clear bills of health before she lets us back to work."

Duo gasps in fake outrage. It's not as good as his usual fake dramatism, but Heero appreciates that he's trying.

"How dare she suspects us! Forgery? Us?"

"Never!" Heero joins in and Duo laughs while buttoning down the shirt.

The laugh is a bit shaky and edging onto the hysteria, but it is progress and Heero smiles a bit as well.

**four**

"I didn't think you were being serious," Quatre says slowly, watching as Heero and Trowa lower the couch on the floor of the still mostly empty living room.

"About what?" asks Duo standing nearby, opening boxes and caring them to the right rooms to sort out later. 

He cracked his ribs a few weeks ago and by the common decision was voted out of caring anything too heavy.

"Living together," Quatre says, still sounding somewhat confused. "Do you-" he pauses, trying to be delicate, which is a sure inclination he's talking about money.

Trowa throws him a quick glance and Quatre makes a face at him. As they hold a silent discussion about other people's barriers in regards to pride and finances. Duo rolls his eyes at Heero who nods in an agreement. Those two are ridiculous.

"We have enough money, Quatre," Heero assures him steadily. "But there's no need to pay for two apartments if we can pay for one bigger and in a better neighborhood."

"Also, living alone sucks," Duo adds in. "It was fun at first but it's waaay too quiet. And Heero is almost always over anyway."

"I think you mean you're almost always over at mine."

Duo shrugs, his face clearly saying he disagrees but he's above shallow fights. Heero shakes his head at him.

"Either way, neither one of us enjoys solitude as much as expected and that way getting a dog will be easier."

"We're not getting a dog," Heero says curtly, carrying two chairs back into the apartment.

"I'm thinking a German shepherd."

"I'm thinking you should be of use and get food."

"Or a Collie."

"Duo!"

"Fine, fine! You're so snarky when you're hungry. Pizza okay with everyone?"

He turns to Trowa and Quatre and notices they're having another silent conversation that is too complex for Duo to unravel easily, but as they keep glancing at Heero he assumes it's not about pizza and orders without further imput.

**five**

They get an undercover mission in which they need to pretend to be married. It's the kind of case that Heero is not saying is a joke, but also carefully checks it came from Une and not Wufei, or worse, Sally.

Actually, Wufei can be crossed out as a suspect, he laughs so hard when he hears about it he terrifies half of the staff who never even suspected he could laugh out loud.

That however only adds to Heero's theory it's all Sally's fault.

"It's all Sally's fault," Duo announces walking into the office. "But not in the most straightforward way."

"What do you mean?"

"She's pregnant, she backed out of the mission, so it fell to us."

Heero stares at the door behind which only a short corridor separates him from probably still chuckling Wufei.

"Don't tell him. It's a dick move, not matter how fun."

Heero sighs. Sometimes being reasonable is downright painful.

"How the hell are we gonna do this?" Heero asks in a defeated tone, but Duo just shrugs.

"Absolutely no idea."

It turns out their fear is unfounded. They do terrifyingly well. No one suspects a thing. They apparently ooze casual intimacy. They hold hands, talk quietly, have silent conversations with just an expression or two, snuggle in bed and at the end of the day catch the modern Bonnie and Clyde right in the act without ever breaking their cover.

"You do know there's a lot of paperwork to be filled when Preventers' partners become a romantic couple?" Une asks them as they discuss their report.

They frown.

"Yes?" Duo offers carefully.

"Am I to expect this kind of paperwork anytime soon?"

"No," Heero assures her coldly and she stares at both of them carefully for a long moment before nodding and letting them go.

"This is starting to get weird," Duo says on their way back to their office.

**one**

Sally looks gorgeous in her wedding dress, despite the growing baby bump. It doesn't look much like a traditional wedding Heero would imagine for Wufei, but he seems happy and that's probably more important anyway.

"Would you marry me?"

Duo chokes on the wine he's been drinking, interrupting the calm, casual fun happening around them and waving frantically at the well-wishing people wanting to help him out.

"Fine," he wheezes. "I'm fine!"

He takes a long, whistling breath as Heero watches him curiously.

"Good Lord, Heero. Warn a guy, would you?"

Heero smirks.

"I swear, one of your jokes will finally kill somebody. Ugh. Probably me."

"I'm serious."

Duo looks at him slowly, looking for some confirmation of a joke in his expression. He sobers as he finds nothing.

"You're serious..."

Heero shrugs.

"I liked it. The pretended marriage, I mean. It felt... right. I would like to go back to that."

Duo stays silent, looking away. Heero sips on his drink, letting his partner work through it.

"I don't like sex," Duo says casually just as Heero takes another sip. It requires some self-control and a slightly hurting his throat but Heero manages not to choke. Duo seems disappointed. "Dammit!"

Heero looks at him, unimpressed.

"Sorry, had to try," Duo shrugs. "I'm serious though. I don't. And I don't want it. And I don't think we're in love."

Heero nods.

"Nor do I. And I don't feel strongly about sex either way. I'm not that interested. I'd like us to get what we've had in the fake marriage though."

"You mean the bed-sharing and cuddling and sweet loving kisses?" His voice getting the mocking tilt as he makes a face at his partner.

Heero stays silent.

"Yeah," agrees Duo, dropping the jester mask. "Me too."

They stay silent for a long moment, before Duo frowns. "I really don't wanna fill all the paperwork though."

"Hm," Heero grants in an agreement. "Wanna manipulate someone into a bet about a date of my proposal so they will do it for us?"

Duo stares at Heero for a long moment.

"I take back what I've said, I do love you. You're a bloody genius!" He kisses Heero straight on the lips in a quick peck before disappearing into the crowd to find the right victim.

Heero looks after him with a small smile, before glancing back to the reception and noticing Quatre staring at him with a shocked impression and open mouth.

Heero smiles brighter and shrugs unapologetically. He hardly has any idea what's going on as well, but as Quatre's shocked face morphs into a giant grin he figures it can't be that bad.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [tumblr](https://archiveofourown.org/works/lordnochybaty.tumblr.com) or come to [my aspec sideblog](http://acesthetically-pleasing.tumblr.com/) for more aspec goodies :)


End file.
